ARTIST

Harriet Leibowitz is a native of Atlanta. She captures the human condition through the images in her photography. The early work primarily deals with issues surrounding idealized beauty of the classical male nude. These highly sensual and often provocative images present youth in all of its vigor and prowess, paradoxically blind to its own mortality.

Extending her concern with the male figure, Harriet’s later work delves into the male façade and the role of gender in self-identity. These subversive but often fanciful images signify an inner freedom discovered through an appropriation of traditional stereotypes.
Harriet’s imagery then transcends the literal symbol of the male nude in favor of a far more lyrical representation of man’s boundless spiritual energy. Dynamic movement, the colors of emotion, and the subtle power of the soul have replaced realistic black and white figures.

Other work explores the tension between the need for control and the desire for ecstasy within the human spirit. The allure of idealized beauty meets our need for structure and control. When juxtaposed against our fascination with chaos and sensual passion, the visceral power both repels and transfixes. The images are metaphors for the dichotomy between darkness and enlightenment, self-discipline and impulse, coarseness and clarity.

Through the course of Harriet’s exploration the meaning has evolved; still every photograph captures the inherent internal beauty of the human being and its need for self-expression. The mixture of apparent opposites offers the viewer a context in which to explore their own assumptions and perceptions about beauty and truth.